David Miller-Glick, member of LSU Communications & Labor Teams

When I joined Lancaster Stands Up a little over a year ago, I wanted to avoid canvassing as much as possible. I get anxious in social situations, especially when I’m knocking on a stranger’s door to talk about political candidates. For a while I told myself I should just leave that to the people who are better at it than me. I found ways to volunteer outside of canvassing, but eventually I started to feel more confident and realized that I have the power to do tough things for Democracy.

Over the past year, I have become a member of both the Communications & Labor Teams. During that time, I grew in self-confidence – due in no small part to the encouragement and accepting spirit of the people who make up those teams. Eventually I came to realize that in spite of my anxiety, canvassing really is for me, because it puts power back into my hands. 

Feeling powerless is a feature of living under Capitalism. Most of us aren’t involved in the decisions that govern our day-to-day lives, and even if we want things to be better we often feel powerless to do anything about it. The thing is, that’s exactly what fascists like Donald Trump and Elon Musk want us to feel. They don’t want us to feel empowered, because if we did, we would canvas and phone bank our hearts out and elect Kamala Harris as our next President.

I should also say that everyone is at a different place, and if you don’t feel comfortable canvassing right now, that’s completely valid – and it’s also valid and normal to feel anxious while canvassing. I haven’t gotten over my social anxieties, but I have found new ways to manage it. For example, I think it’s a lot easier canvassing it with someone you know. My son has been a great canvassing buddy; his chattering distracts me from my quickly-beating heart, and his cheery disposition tends to melt the grumpiness away from people. I’ve also done some deep-canvass phone banking for Kamala, which is built around finding common ground with undecided voters through sharing personal stories. Although my son isn’t old enough to join those calls, I found that I can manage my anxiety by taking breaks and sharing stories about my calls with the other people who are on the phonebank with me.

So many of our freedoms are at stake in this upcoming election. I’m tired, but I have the power to do tough things for Democracy. I’m still planning on calling voters and knocking on doors every chance I can get, while still balancing my mental health. Will you join me?